Leadership Changes Everything

Selena Ozuna | Arlington, TX

EMERGING LEADERS, 2014-15

At Bud Remynse Elementary, where half the students are English learners, first-year principal Ozuna has put student leadership at the center. “We want our kids to know that if they take ownership and put in the effort, they can achieve the very best.” In classrooms, teachers help students understand their strengths and weaknesses, guiding them to set ambitious but achievable learning goals. Ozuna is doing the same with teachers, delving into data and helping them to advance student success. “Before we can do anything, the kids need to believe in themselves. We turn students into ‘superleaders’ who are always striving for better.”

“Our students crave opportunities to do their best, and we’ve created systems to build on that. On our campus, we are all ready to learn.”

Third-grade math proficiency at start and end of Emerging Leaders training

Our Impact in Arlington

78%of Emerging Leaders in math led achievement gains across their teams during training, with 64% leading double-digit gains

72%of Emerging Leaders led proficiency gains across the classrooms they supervised during training

2014

Year Founded

100

Leaders Trained

4,600

Students Reached

Third-grade math proficiency at start and end of Emerging Leaders training

Our Impact in Arlington

78%of Emerging Leaders in math led achievement gains across their teams during training, with 64% leading double-digit gains

72%of Emerging Leaders led proficiency gains across the classrooms they supervised during training

2014

Year Founded

100

Leaders Trained

4,600

Students Reached

Rodney Rowan | Memphis, TN

ASPIRING PRINCIPALS, 2011-12

When Rodney Rowan took the helm of Cherokee Elementary in 2012, it was a chronically low-performing school that struggled to attract talented teachers. Rowan focused on hiring educators who believed deeply that all children could excel and who were willing to learn. He knew that if he “coached those teachers up,” they could succeed. “Every teacher may not be great right off the bat, but if they have the right mindset, there is nothing we can’t accomplish together.” Today, 70 percent of Cherokee teachers are rated as highly effective, and student achievement has soared. Based on that success, the district recently tapped Rowan to start up another new school in Memphis’ “Innovation Zone.”

“The best way to empower teachers is to support them in instruction. When teachers start experiencing success and when students start experiencing success, it changes everything.”

100%of Emerging Leaders in Memphis led achievement gains across the classrooms they supervised during training

2004

Year Founded

480

Leaders Trained

71,300

Students Reached

ABDULLAH ZAKI | Washington, DC

ASPIRING PRINCIPALS, 2004-05

When Abdullah Zaki arrived to lead Kelly Miller Middle School in 2010, five principals had come and gone in as many years. “The perception was that the school was kept open so neighborhood kids had somewhere to go, but there was no hope for a decent education.” Zaki first focused on containing chaos, requiring supervision in the halls and setting clear consequences for poor behavior. He then brought order to instruction, introducing an aligned curriculum, common assessments, tutoring for struggling students, and accelerated classes for advanced ones. By 2014, suspensions and truancy had plummeted, achievement had soared, and Zaki had been named DC Public Schools’ Principal of the Year. Today, he applies that passion for student success as Principal of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.

“When you step into a school with a challenging culture, change doesn’t happen all at once. But being in a position to turn kids’ lives around is some of the most important work there is.”

Academic proficiency at Kelly Miller in 2010 and 2014

OUR IMPACT IN WASHINGTON, DC

83%of Emerging Leaders led achievement gains of at least five points across the classrooms they supervised during training

60% of New Leader-led charter schools received the highest rating from the DC Public Charter School Board

2003

Year Founded

280

Leaders Trained

42,000

Students Reached

Academic proficiency at Kelly Miller in 2010 and 2014

OUR IMPACT IN WASHINGTON, DC

83%of Emerging Leaders led achievement gains of at least five points across the classrooms they supervised during training

60% of New Leader-led charter schools received the highest rating from the DC Public Charter School Board

2003

Year Founded

280

Leaders Trained

42,000

Students Reached

ELIZABETH KIRBY | Chicago, IL

ASPIRING PRINCIPALS, 2002-03

When Elizabeth Kirby became principal of Kenwood High School in 2005, barely half of freshmen were on track to graduate. Kirby rebuilt the school culture around one goal: college attainment. She got to know every student, greeting them by name and instilling clear behavioral expectations. She engaged parents through a steady stream of updates and activities. And she ensured students were supported to college readiness by expanding AP offerings and fostering teacher collaboration. When she was tapped for a district role in 2011, 81 percent of graduates were college bound. Today, as Chief of Network Support for Chicago Public Schools, Kirby oversees 13 principal supervisors, five of whom are New Leaders-trained: “I share a mindset with the New Leaders on my team. We believe all kids can learn, and that it’s our job to make sure they do.”

“I was put on this earth to raise achievement in marginalized communities. As a teacher, principal, or network chief, it’s all the same.”

Student performance at Kenwood and in other Chicago high schools

OUR IMPACT IN CHICAGO

93%of Emerging Leaders led achievement gains of at least five points across the classrooms they supervised during training

78%of New Leader schools in probationary status when they took the helm were "in good standing" within two years

2001

Year Founded

540

Leaders Trained

115,000

Students Reached

Student performance at Kenwood and in other Chicago high schools

OUR IMPACT IN CHICAGO

93%of Emerging Leaders led achievement gains of at least five points across the classrooms they supervised during training

78%of New Leader schools in probationary status when they took the helm were "in good standing" within two years

2001

Year Founded

540

Leaders Trained

115,000

Students Reached

KATHERINE ACOSTA-VEPRAUSKUS | RICHMOND, CA

ASPIRING PRINCIPALS, 2012-13

EMERGING LEADERS, 2011-12

When Katherine Acosta-Verprauskus became principal of Montalvin Manor Elementary School, where 53 percent of students are English learners, she was the only staff member who spoke Spanish, and campus signs warned: “No Parents Allowed.” She tore down the signs, translated during meetings, and established new programs for families, including “Parent University” to foster understanding of their children’s academic needs: “It raises the stakes for teachers when parents ask specific questions about their child’s progress.” By engaging families in this way, Acosta-Verprauskus conveyed that she wants for their children the same thing she received as a young immigrant from Peru: the academic preparation and emotional support to complete college and pursue their dreams.

“Building trust with families is essential. Forging those connections shifts student thinking and creates the opportunity for us to dramatically change their futures.”

More students meet Common Core English standards at Montalvin than the district and state

OUR IMPACT IN THE BAY AREA

92%of students in New Leader high schools in Oakland graduate on time, compared with 63% in the district and 82% statewide

Corina Ramirez | Hidalgo County, TX

PRINCIPAL SUPERVISORS, 2016-17

As a principal supervisor for the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo district in Hidalgo County, Texas, Corina Ramirez knew her priority was to help principals in become effective instructional leaders. With few protocols to guide the work, however, she and her colleagues drew largely from their personal experience. That changed after she participated in New Leaders’ Principal Supervisors program. Ramirez met regularly with New Leaders advisors, intensively studied academic standards, and participated in “leadership walks” at schools, closely observing instruction to ensure it supported students to college- and career-readiness: “Is the task rigorous? Is it aligned to the standard we say we are teaching? Who is doing the thinking work?” Today, Ramirez sees a change in mindset and expectations among her principals and within their schools, and she attributes this shift, along with district-wide math gains, to the training she and her colleagues received.

“I am now armed with knowledge and a focus on what instruction should look like in every classroom, every school, every day. I don’t let superficial things distract me.”

Performance on Texas state math test for seventh-graders in 2016 and those same students as eighth graders in 2017

JOE MANKO | Baltimore, MD

ASPIRING PRINCIPALS, 2009-10

When Baltimore closed schools after protests swept the city in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death, Principal Joe Manko sprang into action. Together with teachers, he created a safe place for students by opening the recreation center adjacent to Liberty Elementary. “Academic achievement is central, but our impact goes much further than a data point.” The recreation center is a testimony to this mindset. Manko brokered a deal to take it over from the city in 2012. Today, relying entirely on volunteers, it offers everything from afterschool enrichment and STEM programs to “Baby University” for new parents. “We are successful because we have harnessed the power of the community.”

“Leadership is about inspiring people to work together to do something that is greater than themselves.”

Students approaching, meeting, or exceeding Common Core standards at Liberty and in Baltimore

OUR IMPACT IN BALTIMORE

96%of Emerging Leaders led achievement gains of at least five points across the classrooms they supervised

Among high-poverty schools, six of the ten highest-gaining schools in math had New Leader principals

2005

YEAR FOUNDED

270

LEADERS TRAINED

53,000

STUDENTS REACHED

Students approaching, meeting, or exceeding Common Core standards at Liberty and in Baltimore

OUR IMPACT IN BALTIMORE

96%of Emerging Leaders led achievement gains of at least five points across the classrooms they supervised

Among high-poverty schools, six of the ten highest-gaining schools in math had New Leader principals

2005

YEAR FOUNDED

270

LEADERS TRAINED

53,000

STUDENTS REACHED

Rashad Meade | Brooklyn, NY

ASPIRING PRINCIPALS, 2007-08

As founding principal of Eagle Academy in Brooklyn, Rashad Meade considers himself a father figure to his students. When the school opened in 2008, nearly a third of entering sixth graders were homeless, and just 17 percent read at grade level. Aided by two New Leader assistant principals and a staff that includes 40 African-American men, Meade developed a new curriculum for his school because “there was no existing curriculum that really got black boys from a point of struggle to a point of success.” Meade also set out to meet his students’ needs outside the classroom, visiting students’ homes to support parents who struggled to get their children to class. The result: in 2015, 95 percent of Eagle’s original sixth graders graduated on time, and 86 percent went on to college.

“We have an unconditional commitment to our boys. I’m never going to waver in my belief that they’ll be successful and that I’ll see them fulfill our expectations.”

Graduation rates at Eagle Academy II in New York City, and for African-American males citywide.

OUR IMPACT IN NEW YORK CITY

76% of Emerging Leaders increased the percentage of students meeting proficiency standards

Since Common Core tests were introduced in 2013, proficiency gains at New Leader schools have outpaced the city-at-large, with average gains of 21 points versus 14 points in math and English combined

2001

Year Founded

300

Leaders Trained

54,000

Students Reached

Graduation rates at Eagle Academy II in New York City, and for African-American males citywide.

OUR IMPACT IN NEW YORK CITY

76% of Emerging Leaders increased the percentage of students meeting proficiency standards

Since Common Core tests were introduced in 2013, proficiency gains at New Leader schools have outpaced the city-at-large, with average gains of 21 points versus 14 points in math and English combined

2001

Year Founded

300

Leaders Trained

54,000

Students Reached

“Being a New Leader means you’re crazy enough to think you can save the world, one child at a time. It means knowing you can make a difference, and knowing how to make that difference.”